Johnny Carson headlines in the Congo Room.ġ969: Duke Ellington performs in the Casbar lounge.ġ972: The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon broadcasts from the Sahara. They perform at the Las Vegas Convention Center and stay at the hotel. A 44,000-square-foot convention facility is built at a cost of $3.5 million.ġ964: Stan Irwin, the Sahara entertainment director, brings the Beatles to Las Vegas. The Sahara adds a $5 million, 24-story skyscraper with 400 rooms, bringing its total to more than 800. George Burns also appears in the Casbar.ġ961: Del Webb acquires the Sahara through a stock transaction involving 1.5 million shares in the Del Webb Corp. Comedian Don Rickles makes the first of many appearances in the Casbar lounge. A convention hall on the north side of the Sahara is added as well as a 127-foot sign. Ray Bolger, the scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz,” headlines in the Congo Room until 1957.ġ959: A 14-story tower is built, adding 200 rooms. The $5.5 million, Moroccan-themed resort is decorated with life-size camels. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) years of Saharaġ952: Milton Prell opens the Hotel Sahara with 240 rooms.
Recent renovations at the resort casino are part of a larger revitalization of the north Strip. Sahara Las Vegas President Paul Hobson shows the new Magic Mike Live Theater during an interview Friday, Jan.
